Chelsea are scrambling for new targets following the news that emerged overnight that Manuel Ugarte had chosen PSG ahead of a move to London.
One player who was top of their list a year ago was Romeo Lavia, and a lengthy exclusive in the Daily Express today reveals the depths of our connections to the youngster.
Lavia was signed to Southampton a year ago from the Manchester City youth academy by Joe Shields. Shields has since come to Chelsea to become part of our recruitment team, and has apparently been in contact with Lavia about a move ever since.
Even more interestingly, there was apparently an offer to Southampton for their star man back in January which would have seen him remain on the South Coast on loan for the remainder of the season. That verbal offer came directly from Todd Boehly. Lavia spoke with then manager Graham Potter, but nothing came of it. It’s even noted that Eden Hazard, Lavia’s Belgium teammate, tried to sell him the idea on international duty.
With Ugarte heading to Paris and Southampton relegated, we could yet see a strong move for Lavia to make him a key piece of the midfield being constructed for Mauricio Pochettino next season. We’re a long way off anything happening, but things are certainly lining up for a serious approach at some point. Once we’ve confirmed a sale or two, expect things to ratchet up again.
